Yes, spring is officially here. This time of year is always invigorating and life affirming as new growth springs forth in colorful and aromatic ways. I live in Northern California and the hillsides are now brightly dappled with wild flowers, most especially with our state’s floral symbol, the California poppy—a welcome sight indeed!

As nature shows off her lovely display of bountiful buds and blooms, my thoughts turn to the creativity that comes as a woman enters her own second season. We ladies are lucky enough to enjoy a second blooming… perhaps even more beautiful than the first. Although menopause marks the end of physical creativity, as we can no longer give birth, this special time heralds a new creativity of the mind, the spirit, and the imagination.

After fifty, many of us experience a heightened urge to express ourselves. We may choose to do this in a number of ways. Perhaps, we’ll want to write down our thoughts and life experiences; creating a memoir, family history, or a blog. Maybe, we will choose the visual arts, taking up sketching or photography. Or, we might wish to give back and be of service to others, volunteering our talents and time in ways that are meaningful to society. Whatever creative means we select, this is the time in our lives to draw from the wisdom of our years and share our unique and ripened sense of self with others.

The years past fifty provide us with both the drive and the opportunity to take stock and make necessary changes. So, to make certain that you are taking best advantage of this special time, ask yourself the following:

What are the ways you see yourself growing and changing?

How are you honoring your own voice?

In which ways are you expressing yourself creatively?

Just like the time change marking the transformation from standard to daylight savings, menopause is our time to “spring forward.” How will you update your internal clock? How will you burst forth in a show of renewal and rebirth? How will you bloom throughout the second season of you life?

4 Responses to “Women Over 50—The Second Blooming”

What a lovely piece …. the comparison of Spring to Menopause. Wish I’d seen it that way while going through it myself…. would have been a much nicer experience.

I agree that aging (I’m now 62) is the perfect time to be more creative and to figure out what in life gives you juice and go after it. Everyone who knows me and attends my workshops knows that I abhor a life of “mediocrity” and encourage folks to Re-Invent. My philosophy is that “IF” we only go around once, then we need to really “go for it …don’t let your dreams die inside you.”

You are so right. I don’t know if it’s the fact that many of us have more free time or perhaps we are just more comfortable sharing that part of ourselves. But I know I am expressing myself in many different ways and as I do I am coming in contact with many women who are discovering new outlets for their creativity.

There’s research to back up the fact that women’s brains are being re-wired as we approach the second half of life. As a result, our attention is more focused on expressing our authenticity as we move away from a primary focus on our family of origin to the broader focus on the family of (wo)man.
I am the author of the book “Amazing Grays A Woman’s Guide to Making the Next 50 the Best 50 *Regardless of your hair color!”